News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Park boss calls for help in curbing poaching
KRABI: Amarin Intarasombat, the Chief of Koh Lanta Marine National Park, has urged dive operators and other park visitors to notify him immediately if fishing boats are seen in the park.He made his call after seeing photographs, passed to him by the Gazette and taken by a local dive operator, showing dozens of dead sharks on the deck of a…
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Call for more care in water use
PHUKET: Arun Kerdsob, Chief of the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), has urged islanders not to waste water.“The provincial office has set up a center to try to prevent severe shortages, while the managing committee is overseeing water distribution. There are 86 deep wells and 92 tin mine lagoons on the island, making up a total of…
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Deadbeat dive operators under the microscope
PHUKET: Following a February 23 meeting to discuss problems in Phuket’s recreational dive industry, a new committee will be formed to ensure that all dive operators are accurately reporting their income – and paying taxes on it.Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer (Palad), Nivit Aroonrat, who chaired the meeting, said that the Phuket dive industry currently comprises 106 operators, of which about…
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Police to take tougher line on teen crime
PHUKET: Police plan to take a harder line on teenage troublemakers and adults who encourage them, Phuket City Police Superintendent Pol Col Nos Svettalekha has warned.Announcing the teenage crime statistics for the year, at the Phuket Excise Office on March 2, Col Nos addressed in particular the continuing problems of public safety in the Saphan Hin area after dark.“Governor Udomsak [Uswarangkura]…
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TRT candidates register for election
PHUKET: With little fanfare and facing an uncharted political landscape, Phuket’s two Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party candidates this morning went to register for the snap parliamentary election due to take place April 2.Arriving at 10 am at Phuket Provincial Community Hall were TRT District 1 candidate Dr Sriyada Palimapan and District 2 candidate Wisut Santikul, both of whom were…
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Democrats slam PM at Saphan Hin rally
PHUKET CITY: More than 10,000 people attended a Democrat Party rally held at Saphan Hin on Sunday as part of the party’s “Southern Mobile Tour”.Many held up signs protesting against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s perceived heavy-handed political and financial tactics. “We don’t want to be Thaksin’s washing powder!” read one. Another stated, “We don’t want to be Thaksin’s shoes!” while…
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Campaigner calls for child-sex tourism crackdown
KATA: The leader of a workshop on countering child sex tourism, yesterday called for hotel and tourism industry workers, and even tourists themselves, to report any behavior they suspect might be leading up to child sex abuse.The workshop, at the Kata Beach Resort, was aimed at teaching those present – 64 government officers, hotel staff, souvenir vendors, tour company and…
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Japanese tourist dies while diving
KOH RACHA YAI: Japanese tourist Akira Egoshi, 24, died while diving in Siam Bay, off Koh Racha Yai, on Wednesday.Pol Lt Col Chana Sutthimas, an Inspector with the Chalong Police, told the Gazette that a party of 11 Japanese tourists led by four dive masters from Kata Diving Co Ltd left Chalong Pier aboard the dive boat Laddawan 5 at 8:20…
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Top Democrats head for Phuket
PHUKET: The Democrat Party is to hold a rally at Saphan Hin central stage from 5 pm to 11 pm on Sunday (March 5) as part of what it is calling its Southern Mobile Tour.Manoo Onksantipab, Chairman of the Phuket branch of the Democrat Party, told the Gazette that the rally’s purpose is to explain to the public what caretaker…
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Blue Canyon Lakes Course to be redeveloped
MAI KHAO: Blue Canyon Country Club (BCCC) has announced that its Lakes Course will undergo upgrading from April 3 on, with the end of this year penciled in as the target date to reopen the course.The Canyon Course will remain open for play.The redevelopment of the Lakes Course follows the announcement in December last year of a “strategic partnership” between…
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Phuket’s tour guide shortage addressed at seminar
PHUKET CITY: A seminar on the shortage of tour guides in Phuket attracted some 150 tourism industry employees to the Royal Phuket City Hotel on February 23. The seminar was chaired by Thanitta Maneechote, Director-General of the Office of Tourism Development, part of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. “We have held this seminar three times before – in Bangkok,…
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Gambling again crowns Phuket’s arrests inventory
PHUKET: Statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police again show gambling as the crime category with the highest number of arrests.Between February 1 and 21, 249 people were busted for gambling-related offenses; 24 of these cases involved the sale of illegal lottery tickets.There were nine cases of attempted murder, with five arrests made. Two murders were reported during the period,…
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Gov in drive against encroachment
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has ordered the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) to step up efforts to protect the island’s natural resources after four cases of encroachment on Government forest land were reported in February. Speaking at the monthly meeting of government department heads at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, Gov Udomsak ordered…
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Dirty water spurs Patong “seaweed’ surge
PATONG: Nipawan Bussarawit, a marine biologist at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), has confirmed that the rising level of “organic contaminants” in Patong Bay has been a contributing factor in the explosive growth of stinking brown seaweed that has been washing up on Patong Beach for the past month.K. Nipawan said that the water quality in Patong Bay was…
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Phuket gears up for April elections
PHUKET: Voters in Phuket and across the country will be busy in April with two national elections: the Parliamentary election slated for April 2 (though that date may be changed)and the Senatorial election on April 19.Dr Sriyada Palimapan will be the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party candidate for Phuket’s Parliamentary District 1 while Wisut Santikul will stand for District 2.Whether…
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“New’ reef bigger than any in the region
PHANG NGA: Marine scientists are still charting the extent of an uncharted reef off Tai Muang, Phang Nga, covering, they say, at least four square kilometers – far larger than any known reef in the region.The discovery of the reef, made in the first week of January, was documented by Songpol Tippayawong, Head of the Thailand Marine and Coastal Conservation…
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Crack of doom
PATHUM THANI: Readers living in Thailand may occasionally experience the frustration of having to deal with a sudden infestation of red ants, roaches, or termites. What can be more annoying than discovering that savory breast of barbecued chicken you left on the table moments ago is swarming with feisty red ants? Discovering your house swarming with glistening, newly hatched cobras,…
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Mysterious seaweed invades Patong Beach
PATONG: Tourists strolling along Patong Beach now have an extra something to remember about their stay in Phuket – a slimy, brown seaweed with a stench to match its looks. This is not the first time seaweed has invaded the Patong shore. Two years ago bright green seaweed covered the sand (See story here). This year, however, the seaweed is…
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Supermodel kickboxers heading for Phuket
SAPHAN HIN: NS Sport and online flower delivery service Misslily.com will jointly host the “Miss Lily Super Model Muay Thai Championships 2006” featuring a bevy of female kickboxers from the United States. The event will be held at the Saphan Hin Sports Complex on March 10, starting at 5 pm.Organizers Surasak Mookpradap of NS Sport (Thailand) and Rawat Chindapol, Managing Director…
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Suwat pushes for fast action on Phi Phi
PHUKET: In an abrupt government about-face after more than a year of blocking rehabilitation of Koh Phi Phi Don following the tsunami, Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop has urged redevelopment of the island be pushed ahead to hasten the island’s return to its former status as a tourism hotspot.At a meeting held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Wednesday,…
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Tsunami tower test causes consternation
PHUKET: Officials declared this morning’s test of 12 tsunami warning towers a success, but residents of some parts of the island said they were terrified as they had received no warning of the test, during which full emergency messages were broadcast.One woman living in Chalong said, “The warning tower kept broadcasting a message telling us to get out and run…
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Plan to relax license rules for yacht skippers
BANGKOK: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS) is planning to put before Cabinet a proposal to allow people with foreign captain’s licenses to skipper Thai-registered sailing yachts.The proposal, intended to give a boost to the marine tourism industry, would do away with an existing regulation that requires foreign skippers wanting to sail boats in local waters to obtain Thai…
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12 tsunami towers to be tested tomorrow
PHUKET: Twelve of Phuket’s tsunami warning towers will be tested by the Nonthaburi-based National Disaster Warning Center tomorrow morning.Arun Keodsom, Chief of the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), told the Gazette, “The 12 towers to be tested are those at Chalong, Laem Tukkae, Rawai, Saphan Hin, Cape Panwa, Kata, Karon, Kamala, Nai Yang, Bang Tao, Mai Khao…
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Sondhi addresses Phuket rally
PHUKET CITY: More than 20,000 people attended a rally at Saphan Hin last night, addressed by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s nemesis, Sondhi Limthongkul. K. Sondhi and Sarocha Porn-udomsak, his co-host on the weekly political talk show on the ASTV satellite channel, Muang Thai Rai Sapda (Thailand Weekly), were the main speakers at the rally, holding forth in front of a…
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Urgent call for A-negative blood
PHUKET: Anyone with the rare A-negative blood group is asked to report to Bangkok Hospital Phuket immediately to make a donation to save the life of British national Steve Donnelly, injured in a motorcycle accident in Patong two days ago. He is in critical condition and on life support with 11 broken ribs, punctured lungs, two broken collar bones and…
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Real Estate Club to stage property show
PHUKET: The Phuket Real Estate Club (PREC) will stage an exhibition showcasing property in Phuket and on Koh Samui, at Central Festival Phuket from April 6 to 10.PREC President Phummisak Hongsyok said that the exhibition is partly to support Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura’s aim of having more activities staged in Phuket, now that the tsunami anniversary ceremonies are over.“This is the…
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Prem School feasibility study nearly complete
KATA: Architect and developer ML Tridhosyuth “Mom Tri” Devakul, says that a study into the feasibility of building a new private school in Phuket should be complete in about two months.Mom Tri, owner of Mom Tri’s Boathouse, the hotel in Kata, and developer of top-end projects such as the Trisara resort and the Baan Kata residential development, is also the…
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Frenchman found dead in Karon guesthouse
KARON: A Frenchman was found dead in a guesthouse in Karon on Sunday, the victim of an apparent suicide.Pol Maj Chana Suttimard, of Chalong Police Station, told the Gazette that he received a call from a maid at the Lucky Guesthouse at 11 am after she found the body of Bernard Roger Servel, 61, in one of the rooms.“The maid…
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Island Ironman calls for charity sponsorship
PHUKET: Les Bird, Phuket’s resident ironman athlete, who is competing in this year’s Ironman Australia Triathlon, at Port Macquarie in New South Wales on April 2, has issued a plea for sponsors to back him to raise money for charity. All sponsor donations will go to the Maesai Childlife Foundation in Chiang Rai, he explained. Mr Bird hopes to complete…
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Low-cost carriers keen on Krabi
KRABI: Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia will launch daily direct flights from Bangkok to Krabi on March 1, while Singaporean low-cost carrier Tiger Airways has announced it will extend its Singapore-Krabi service to run throughout the low season. Thai AirAsia Public Relations Executive Jaqueline Mercader told the Gazette that the new service, designated FD 3165, will depart Bangkok daily at 5:05…
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